§ 36. Mr. Bingasked the President of the Board of Trade how many meetings of the Consultative Group Co-ordinating Committee have been held; and at how many meetings his Department has been represented.
§ Mr. P. ThorneycroftThis Committee has been meeting regularly and frequently for some five years now. The United Kingdom has always been represented, and in addition Board of Trade experts have attended as often as has been necessary.
§ Mr. BingSurely, the Minister would agree, in view of the fact that there are £25 million worth of orders for machine tools which have not yet been licensed, that there ought to be a representative of the Board of Trade always there? Will he give an assurance that there always will be in future?
§ Mr. ThorneycroftThere is a representative of the Board of Trade there now engaged in the discussions, covering the whole range of these controls, which are going on at the present moment.
§ Mr. BingWill the right hon. Gentleman say how soon he hopes that the committee will come to come final decision?
§ Mr. ThorneycroftNot in answer to this Question.
§ 37. Mr. Bingasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the items which have been removed from, and entered on, embargo list B of the Consultative Group Co-ordinating Committee, respectively, during the last six months.
§ Mr. P. ThorneycroftThere have been no additions of any significance to List II during the last six months, but a few items have been deleted in the field of machine tools, chemical equipment, chemicals and abrasives, together with tinplate.
§ Mr. BingWould not the Minister agree that the time has now come to circulate this list so that everyone may be informed what is prohibited and what is not?
§ Mr. ThorneycroftI do not think the House would take the view that it would be sensible to start circulating lists in the middle of our negotiations on them. I think that both sides of the House prefer us to press on and try to get agreement in these negotiations.